Scandinavian Airlines flight hits severe turbulence over Greenland

On By Littum

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Video on social media (below) shows objects flying and passengers screaming as they jumped in their seats as a Scandinavian Airlines flight encountered severe turbulence over Greenland on Thursday.

SAS flight SK957 was on its way from Stockholm to Miami when the incident occurred.

The airline said the plane returned to Europe to undergo inspection in Copenhagen instead of continuing to Miami, citing a lack of staffing from the state for the necessary protocol.

“We confirm that flight SK957 from ARN to MIA yesterday encountered severe turbulence over Greenland. Following such turbulence, standard safety procedures require a thorough inspection of the aircraft,” an airline spokesperson told USA TODAY in a statement. “Since SAS does not have the necessary facilities and personnel for this level of inspection at MIA, we decided to divert the aircraft to Copenhagen (CPH), where both hangar space and qualified technicians were available. Flying the aircraft to MIA would have resulted in the due for a longer period, leading to more cancellations.”

No serious injuries were reported as a result of the turbulence, and SAS said all passengers were accommodated overnight in Copenhagen and rebooked on other flights.

What you need to know: The turbulence gets worse, but deaths are very rare.

Severe turbulence events are becoming more frequent due to climate change. Although flying remains an extremely safe way to travel, passengers should follow the advice of cabin crew to keep their seat belts fastened when seated and to always obey the seat belt sign and remain fastened when illuminated. A seat belt is the first line of defense against turbulence-related injuries.

Zach Wichter is a travel reporter for USA TODAY based in New York. You can reach him at [email protected].